


Anything to Keep my Promise

by Jaymian



Category: RWBY
Genre: Angst and Tragedy, Blood and Injury, Canon Compliant, Damn you SMITE for giving me this idea, F/F, Heavy Angst, Ruby Weiss and Tyrian are only in it briefly
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-11-13
Updated: 2019-11-13
Packaged: 2021-01-29 17:22:05
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,315
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21413851
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Jaymian/pseuds/Jaymian
Summary: Blake had managed to ward off an attack on Atlas Academy, but it had come at an unfathomable cost. Her only regret; the promise she was about to break to someone she held so dear.Based on Blake's death quote from the SMITE game (link in Notes).
Relationships: Blake Belladonna/Yang Xiao Long
Comments: 33
Kudos: 139





	Anything to Keep my Promise

Blake had fallen to the ground with a painful gasp. Her blood was staining her white coat a deep red, slowly spreading further, out of her body and onto the ground.

It was over. She had, somehow, managed to hold off Tyrian Callows by herself, her team having split up to defend the rest of Atlas Academy from the plan he and Arthur Watts had devised, preventing him from assassinating General Ironwood. He was gone now, having retreated when he heard the alarms sounding. She had won; while she couldn't defeat him, she had prevented him from achieving his goal.

But her defense had come at a heavy price, for in the final moments, as her aura gave away, Tyrian's stinger had found its mark, lodging itself in her stomach. She could remember it with painful clarity; her disbelief as she stared at the metal impaled into her, the burn of venom being injected into her body, his maniacal cackling and taunts, having turned into a gasp and hasty retreat when he heard alarms, violently ripping the stinger out of her body and causing her to collapse.

But still, she tried to crawl, her teeth gritted and a hand pressed against her wound. She damned her body, her legs no longer responding. She already couldn't even feel them, let alone move them. But she couldn't stop; she had made a promise after all, a promise to someone so dear to her, and she would be damned if she let this stop her. But her muscles were screaming, venom strangling them, slowly shutting down, and her body fought her every step of the way. She could faintly smell her own blood, the life essence slowly trickling out of her.

She heard her teammates before she saw them, first with Ruby's fear-filled gasp. She could feel the panic and terror radiating from all three of them as they looked at their friend's crumpled, bloody form.

"Ruby and I will go look for Jaune," Weiss quickly said. Her tone was authoritative, but panicked. "He was helping on the other side of the school. Maybe he can fix this. You just try and stop the bleeding, okay, Yang?"

"I... okay," she quietly heard Yang say in response as she heard footsteps quickly racing away. There was what sounded like wind; Weiss summoning her Lancer to fly, no doubt.

Blake knew it was pointless. They all did. Even Jaune's semblance couldn't fix this. The stinger had stabbed her right through the abdomen, and his venom was now pumping through her veins, her organs. This wasn't a light scratch like what she heard Qrow had to deal with; she had practically been impaled. She would bleed out before the two even found Jaune, and if that didn't kill her the venom would. It was over; she was going to be ripped away from the people she loves. From Yang. Permanently. After she had promised to never leave, too. That regret hurt almost as much as the gash across her abdomen did.

But then she heard booted footsteps approaching her. Someone crouching beside her. Blake turned to look at who approached. Perhaps this was the real reason Weiss ushered Ruby away; to give Blake one last moment with her partner.

"Yang..." she uttered weakly, turning to her and meeting her eyes. Blood was constricting her airway, making speech hard, and every breath was painful, but the mere presence of her golden partner somehow made everything just so slightly easier.

Yang said nothing. She sat down on the ground, her lilac eyes glancing down to Blake's stomach, to the large red tear where Tyrian's stinger had ripped into her, before slowly coming back up to meet her own.

"Hey," Yang whispered, lifting her up gently, holding her in her arms, laying Blake's head and chest lightly in her lap. Surely her own clothes were getting stained with Blake's blood, but she didn't seem to care. Blake could sense Yang was trying incredibly hard to keep it together for her, from the slight trembles of her hand to the tightness of the muscles in her throat; if she couldn't save Blake, she could at least offer comfort. Comfort in her final moments.

"I'm sorry," Blake breathed out, blood running out of the corner of her mouth as she looked away. Her eyes filled with tears, possibly the last ones she would ever have. "I... I was too weak... I'm breaking my promise again..."

"Blake, I want you to look at me."

Blake was scared that Yang would be angry, be judgmental. The poor girl had been left behind so much in her life, including by Blake herself. But she should have known better, especially now; in Yang's eyes was no negativity at all. There was only kindness, compassion, and something Blake couldn't even put words to. Her partner's lips slowly turned up to a soft smile.

"It's okay," she said gently. "I'll be okay."

"But, I promised..." her eyes were getting hazy, focus was becoming harder and harder, as she coughed up more blood. Her breathing was ragged and her head felt so light. "I promised you I wouldn't leave..."

Yang put a reassuring hand on Blake's chest, still looking into her eyes. Blake weakly covered it with her own. "You didn't break any promise." Her words were gentle, reassuring, but her voice was strained. "You were here. You were stronger and braver than any of us. You're a _hero_. And _you_ are what made _me_ strong." She shook her head. "But you don't have to hang on for me. You can rest. Because no matter what, you'll always be with me, here or in whatever comes next."

Tears were now flowing freely from Blake's glassy eyes, mingling with the blood. She was trying desperately, so desperately, to hang on, but it was a losing fight. Yang just stared down at her, her sadness mixed with unmitigated kindness. Her beauty was unmatched, from her golden hair to her gem-like violet eyes. If she would die in the arms of this radiant woman, she supposed there were worse ways to go. In the arms of someone who meant so much to her, more than anything on all of Remnant.

"Yang... I..." her words were little more than a ragged whisper. She wished she had gotten the chance, even once, to tell Yang she loved her. To kiss her. A new regret raced through her slowly shutting-down mind. Would Yang watch her die, never knowing that she was the light in Blake's life, the only thing that kept her going sometimes?

But Yang just smiled so warmly, a tear running down her own cheek. She leaned over, pressing a small kiss to Blake's pale lips. Blake was too weak to return it, but even with her consciousness fading, she could feel the warmth, the understanding. The_ love_.

"I know, baby," she whispered, her breath warming Blake's lips. "I do too."

It was the final thing she needed. To know that love was reciprocated, even if she never got to explore it. Blake breathed her final breath as she gazed into those brilliant lilac eyes, soaking in the love and adoration. They consumed her, guiding her soul onward, just as they had in this life. Guiding her soul as it left her body, into a void of golds and violets.

Her body fell limp, her hand falling from Yang's. Yang just smiled, stroking her hair, her ghost-white cheek, until Blake's body fell completely cold, her eyes dimming, her cat ears limply curling in. Her lifeless, unmoving eyes, now more a dull, jaundiced yellow and a brilliant amber, were fixed on Yang, and Yang alone.

It was only then that Yang let her smile curl into a harsh frown. She buried her head into the shoulder of her deceased partner, allowing the violent, painful sobs to finally flow.

**Author's Note:**

> As I said, this is based on the incredibly angst-y quote from Blake's skin in SMITE when she is killed. You can listen to it here; https://kusnilive.tumblr.com/post/189019101708/blakes-death


End file.
